Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Pedro's Only Regret: Run-In With Don Zimmer

(Chris Faytok/The Star-Ledger)
This summer, Pedro Martinez will be enshrined in the baseball Hall of Fame. Despite his great career, he does have one regret: the take-down of former Red Sox manager Don Zimmer in the 2003 ALCS. Says Martinez in his new book, Pedro: "When 72-year-old Don Zimmer came barreling toward me, I wish I had not grabbed his head and pushed him to the Fenway grass as he stumbled and fell forward. Some days I feel more people remember me as the angry young man who pushed down a defenseless old man than as the pitcher who won three Cy Young Awards and a world title and wound up in the Hall of Fame. In my entire baseball career, my reaction to Zimmer’s charge is my only regret." An excerpt of the new book will appear in this week's issue of Sports Illustrated.